A Chester man was recently sentenced to two years probation and will have to pay more than $8,000 after he knowingly kept geese that federal law required be donated to charity.

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced July 18 that Robert Masterson, Sr., 53, charged with federal offenses of Possession of Migratory Birds and Lacey Act Violation, was sentenced to two years of probation, a $3,000 fine, $5,025 in restitution, and a $35 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The conviction stems from incidents that took place between Jan. 1, 2013, and April 3, 2013, when Masterson was unlawfully selling wild game, specifically geese which had been received under the auspice of the Sportsman Against Hunger Program.
Masterson, doing business as Bobís Custom Meat, held a Federal Fish and Wildlife Special Purpose Permit, authorizing him to receive and possess migratory birds, specifically geese, lawfully taken during the 2012 goose hunting seasons. The permit specifically required that all geese received be donated to a not-for-profit distribution center and that any purchase, sale, barter, or trade of the migratory birds, or any parts of migratory birds, was illegal.

During the course of the investigation, Masterson illegally sold goose jerky on several occasions in early 2013.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges.